


Betrayal Of Fate

by hyacinth (Lexa_Alycia), Nihi



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Amity is also OP, Blood, Blood and Injury, Coven Leader Amity, Enemies to Lovers, Epic Battles, Exploitation of Magic, F/F, Future, Gen, Hatred, Horror, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Luz is OP, Not so oblivious Luz Noceda, Oblivious Luz Noceda, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Torture, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Violence, corrupt government
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:06:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26831128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexa_Alycia/pseuds/hyacinth, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nihi/pseuds/Nihi
Summary: Come on... where is it?As she fumbled on the floor looking for the regeneration potion, Amity spoke."What are you planning on doing to me?" Her voice came out as a whisper, startling Luz.Quickly she raised her black armor once more. Luz locked her eyes with the other witch."I'm going to heal you, of course."After another second, Luz ducked down once again to look for the potion."You say that like it's so obvious, but I almost killed you, if I remember correctly." Amity responded, her voice much firmer."And so did I. So accidental or not, I'm going to fix it. Now shush, I'm concentrating."Amity did as she was told and started to look around the room. Everything was disorganized, books and notes were scattered everywhere and it smelled like dirt... Where were they? As she took in her surroundings, her eyes landed on a white board hung up on the wall. There were weird symbols scribbled on the wall and some kind of map.Wait... I’ve seen this before, it's a map of the castle. Was the witch already planning to attack them by herself?
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 41
Kudos: 266





	1. Betrayal of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity investigates a dangerous creature in the woods.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story written by Nihi, and edited by Hyacinth.
> 
> Updated 11/22/2020 with edits.

Humid, harrowing… and melted, those are the words that Amity would have used to describe the center of the woods in the Boiling Isles. As she walked closer to where she was assigned for her mission, she could sense the destroyer’s breath, coming from the trees further ahead. Amity stopped for a second, raising a fist in the air to make her small squadron halt in their tracks. 

“Raise the barrier.” 

Her squadron did as they were told and a small  forcefield covered them as they continued walking. Amity was getting nervous, nobody in the last four years had been successful in the capture of the beast, and no one had ever clearly seen the creature. What people did know is that it possessed powerful magic and was at least smarter than your average life form. She was sent by the emperor, believing she had what it took to defeat the beast, or so he said. She was sure he sent her to see how much of a treat this thing was, but it did not matter. Amity needed to succeed or at least be able to identify what it was. 

Her troops shifted into a circular formation, leaving her in the middle. As they entered a clearing, sizzling could be heard as the forcefield shield made contact with the destroyer’s breath. For a split second, Amity thought she saw some kind of small shack, but whatever it was disappeared as soon as she laid eyes on it. The shield was slowly weakening and she would rather end it quickly. 

“Raise your staffs, and if you hear or see anything do not hesitate to attack.” 

Her pulse had quickened, she started to sweat, the mask became even more uncomfortable as it stuck to her face. She raised her staff, looking around when she spotted a black figure to her left. She quickly unleashed a flurry of fire balls at the creature but it disappeared. Amity’s hands started shaking. Her soldiers started firing spells through the air at random, or at least that’s what it looked like. 

Explosions were going off everywhere, trees were getting torn in half, the ground became riddled with craters, and Amity could not pinpoint the creature’s location. Every time she fired, the thing disappeared, like it was mocking them. It was doing circles around them, and it was infuriating. The creature shot a projectile towards them, slightly cracking the surface of the dome shield protecting them. Her squadron opened fire once again, but they missed every shot. 

“Stop!” Amity snapped at her troops. They ceased their attacks immediately.

She was becoming increasingly agitated, she was expected to outperform everything and everyone. And she was not about to lose to some feral animal. 

She was Amity Blight, the leader of the Emperor’s Coven. She-

Suddenly, memories from the past flooded her vision. Loss of friendships, unrequited love, Luz’s disappearance, and denial. Her head was pounding. 

When she looked up and there she was. Her best friend. The most valuable person to her in the world. 

But this wasn’t right, she was not in this world anymore. 

It was that damned creature; it was implanting fear in her. 

_ But how?  _

Amity’s back straightened, and she looked around the area, searching for the creature. But there was nothing. 

Suddenly she felt something tugging at her feet. She looked down to see vines rising up from the ground. They pinned her and everyone else down to the ground. With her free hand she drew a familiar spell circle. 

“ ABOMINATION-”

A purple gooey hand shot up from the ground. 

“-rise,” The word almost came out like a whimper. 

The abomination she had summoned felt freezing, sending tingles down her hand. The abomination’s hand was black, and while the texture was very reminiscent of an abomination it definitely held something solid inside. 

Another hand shot up from the ground and slammed the floor, making her gasp in surprise. Her soldiers were still pinned face down, unable to help her. Something akin to hair started to rise from the ground. As its face began to show, Amity couldn’t help but shed a few silent tears.

_ So this is how it all ends, huh? _

Amity’s fears were starting to surface again, this time not from the creature, but from her own insecurities. It was fear not of death, but from the thought that she wasn’t good enough, good enough for anything. She was always following, never leading, whether it was the Emperor or her parents. Even with Luz to a certain extent.

So Amity needed to prove here and now that she could be better, if it wasn’t for Luz she wouldn’t have changed, or at least changed for a period of time. And look at her now, right back where she started all those years ago. 

The creature’s head was mostly out of the ground, its glowing yellow eyes sent shivers down her spine. Amity clenched her hands tightly. 

What was it going to do to her? 

Its body shot up out of the ground, fully revealing the creature. It looked humanoid, with a feminine shape and a slim build. It seemed to have no mouth but that could be because Amity couldn’t see clearly due to the brightness of the light that came from its eyes. The creature’s hair was surrounded by a black mist, and reached its waist. Their skin looked to be smoking, making Amity cough. 

The witch(?) finally showed their teeth, and they looked fairly normal in comparison to almost every other feature that they possessed. But what stood out the most was the witch’s lack of fangs, which was strange. Almost every creature in the Isles had fangs, including witches. 

The witch smirked at her, clearly entertained by her trembling form. Amity heard a loud crack, and looked up. The shield was breaking. 

_ Oh no…  _

“Belos taught me that one,” The witch said in a raspy voice, but it was clearly not their own. 

Amity was bewildered.

  
  


“You can speak…” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“I can do more than just speak… Why are you here?” The witch cocked their head at Amity curiously.

_ Crack! _

“We’re here to capture-” 

One of the witch’s hands covered her mouth.

Amity’s eyes widened and her face paled. She could not deny that this thing scared her more than anything else. It was glaring at her, with an intensity that made her want to look away. 

“I’m obviously not going to let you capture me, but tell Belos that he won’t have to wait for long. I’m coming for him.” 

_ CRACK! _

Amity glanced up. The barrier was about to collapse on them. All her troops were going to die,  _ she _ was going to die. Suddenly, the witch pulled their hand away from Amity and raised their hands. The witch’s thumb tapped their palm and her eyes glowed bright, almost blinding the young Blight. When Amity opened her eyes, the shield was restored but now instead of yellow it was now purple. 

“I guess the air around here has gotten a bit... heavy, if I do say so myself.” The witch chuckled. 

Amity could only stare at the witch in awe at the feat of strength they had shown. 

The witch had not only replenished the shield, but they had reinforced it a hundred times over. Amity could feel the power radiating from the dome. Amity was capable of doing something similar, but this shield had been made by ten of her troops and the witch had completely out-classed them… This could only mean that the witch was much more of a threat than she had originally imagined. 

The witch stopped giggling and turned to look at Amity, perhaps waiting for a response. But, Amity did not move. Then the witch spoke again. 

“If you’re worried about dying, I recommend not coming back… also if I were you, I would avoid your Emperor’s castle for the time being.” 

Then in a split second, the witch fell on her back and was sucked into the ground by the terrain around them, The witch also made another weird finger movement before disappearing from sight. 

The vines that had trapped Amity and her troops followed suit, returning to the ground. Amity’s soldiers got up from the floor, a little dazed from the pressure the plants had placed on their bodies. 

Amity was shaken from what she had experienced, but more so furious, with herself for this failure. Amity was most angered with the creature, it made her relive memories that she had no desire reliving. The witch had made her look like a fool, just a scared kid. 

She was going to capture this thing no matter what, even if she had to burn the whole forest down.


	2. Going Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity recounts to the Emperor the events of a few hours ago. The next day, Amity goes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 11/22 with edits.

The massive metallic double doors opened with a chilling creak. Slowly, the Emperor's throne came into view. He held a palisman in between his gloved fingers. Cold, calculating, and insidious- those are the words that she would use to describe the Emperor of the Boiling Isles. He didn't care for his subjects or his soldiers, he only wanted power and control. Those who he deemed as wild would be imprisoned or petrified, used as a reminder of his iron grip. Amity despised him with a burning passion, he was a constant reminder of her enslavement to him, that she would never be more than just a pawn. She also saw her possible future self in him, uncaring to the circumstances of others. She was afraid of the thought, but it constantly weighed on her mind. 

"Amity Blight, you came back sooner than expected." 

Amity made her way to the middle of the throne room and bowed down to her emperor. The giant bile sac hanging from the ceiling quickened its beat as she approached him. 

"I was-" 

The palisman cracked, Belos ran his fingers along the crack that stretched across the body. Green magical energy trickled down his fingers as he raised it to his eyes. As the liquid hit his eye sockets, he sighed, seemingly content.

"Better..." He said to himself. 

Amity just stood there awkwardly, debating whether or not to say anything. Belos turned to meet her gaze and peered down at her from the throne.

"It’s clear that you did not succeed in capturing the beast, am I correct?" 

Amity's eyes widened, the reminder of today's failure still fresh in her mind. 

"Yes,” Her throat was dry and she tried to swallow down her rising nerves.

It came almost inaudible, but the Emperor heard. 

"So, you failed..." He drawled, his gaze never leaving Amity. "Do not worry my child, I was expecting this sort of outcome... But I take it that you did learn a few things from the beast, yes?" 

Amity nodded and straightened her posture.

"Yes, your excellency, I have come to the conclusion that they are in fact a witch of some kind, able to think rationally." 

"And how did you arrive at this conclusion?" Belos looked at her expectantly, still holding the cracked palisman. 

A thought occurred to Amity, should he tell him about how much of a threat that thing is? Or should she keep some of the details to herself? She knew the Emperor was evil, and maybe it was time for a new, more worthy leader. Although she still didn't know much about the witch... 

She could take out two birds with one stone, now that she was thinking about it. A plan was brewing in her mind, she just needed time. Amity could be free from it all, and the citizens of the Boiling Isles would also benefit. 

"It spoke..." She said, now that she knew what she had to do. 

"... Interesting, how much of a threat do they pose to my rule?" He shifted to his side, moving his hand under his chin. 

_This is it._

_"_ They are powerful, but nothing I can’t deal with." 

Now all she needed was a time frame, maybe a month or tw- 

''Very well, you have a week to take care of them. And whether that be by killing the witch or petrifying them, it’s up to you." 

Amity’s eyes widened.

_Shit... only a week... Okay, I can do this I ca-_

"Oh, and, Amity?"

"Yes?"

"Do not fail me." 

_/-/-/_

_The coast was clear_

She pressed her index finger and her thumb together, making her small shack become visible. Then she tapped the bottom of her palm, making the black gooey armor surrounding her plop onto the ground, revealing her true self. Luckily, Luz still had her body barrier around her, otherwise she would have probably melted by now. 

_I really gotta find a way to get rid of the radiation..._

She started to walk in the direction of her shack. She was already tired from walking from the Owl House and then having to fight off Belos’ goons. Luz did manage to scare them though, especially the head of the Emperors Coven. She couldn't even move! Luz grinned.

_It’s always fun to give a bit of a scare... I do wonder why the Emperor’s guards came this time..._

She reached the front door of the shack, stepping onto the steps made the wood creak under her feet and she winced at the sound. The house itself had a barrier so she put hers down and entered the house. Glancing at the palm of her hand, Luz tapped one of the many glyphs in her palm, an orb appeared, lighting the murky atmosphere thanks to her experimental mishap a few months ago. 

As she walked deeper into the house Luz debated on taking a nap on her bed or just sitting down on her almost functional chair. But the day was still young so she decided to go down into the basement. 

Her hand reached for a wooden lever that opened a small door, leading to a set of stairs. As she descended the stairs, the smell of soil hit her nose, calming her. 

Luz entered her dirt lab, as she liked to call it, where she experimented with her glyph magic to find ways to improve them. She had been quite successful with her trial and error method, Luz had even found ways to amplify their power, all though it was a painful experience. 

She had found that if you drew glyphs on living matter, the spells would gain a significant boost in strength. The downside was that the spells would erase off of her skin in a few hours. Luz made the decision to make them permanent. It was torturous burning the glyphs on her skin, but the end result was well worth it. It was the only way she stood a fighting chance against Belos and his army. 

Luz began to illuminate the area with more light glyphs. There were scattered papers everywhere, different glyphs and combinations for said glyphs. Her staff was on the floor. She always forgot to bring it with her. Luz made her way to the white board she stole a few months ago. It had a map of the castle with every entrance, and every line of sight that the guards used to spot intruders. Off to the side were her newest glyph combinations, "The Abominable Armor" being one of them. 

While testing it earlier, on the way back from her visit to the Owl House with the guards, she noted that it was a little hard to move compared to not having it on. But this wouldn’t really matter anyway since she was only planning to use it if it came down to it. Luz walked over to the map, and she placed her hand where the wild witches were held. 

"I'm so sorry, I’ll get you out of there as soon as I can. I promise."

Tears trickled down Luz’s face, and determination swelled inside of her core. 

"Us weirdos have to stick together, right?" 

/-/-/-/ 

The next day Amity found herself alone walking through the woods, but this time she came better prepared than before. She needed to get the witch on her side by the end of the week. But what if they did not want to hear her out? They had already warned her to not come back, so what if she was met with hostility? Amity shook her head. 

_Then I will submit them to my cau-_

Amity was unable to finish her thought before vines pinned her to the ground by vines. She struggled against her restraints, trying to free herself. 

"Oh _come on_ , I didn’t even get to finish my mono-"

The witch (Honestly, she still wasn’t sure) abruptly appeared out of thin air, sporting a very familiar hood. 

"-logue." 

"Well I mean these are the woods, there bound to be many around" The wild witch smirked. 

_That's the dumbest comment I’ve ever heard._

"Anyways, I thought that I made it clear to not come back, so why-" 

"I have a deal for you," Amity looked at her expectantly, she didn’t want to fight. 

The witch looked at her, dumbfound that the other thought that they would fall for some obvious, ill-thought out trap. 

"I’d rather be caught dead than make deals with the Emperor’s lap dog," The witch spat. 

Amity felt her face go crimson under her mask. That comment really pissed her off. How dare she call her a lap dog!?

"I am MUCH MORE than a lap dog, you disgusting abomination," She scowled, eyes narrowing in anger. 

Luz just stood there, glaring at her. Now both witches were extremely heated. 

Luz and Amity took a step back and got into the ready position. 

Their second witch’s duel was about to commence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also comment you dingus... let me know of spelling mistakes, English is not my first language.


	3. Skillfully Outmatched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz and Amity fight, and it does not end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eeeeh enjoy? IDK if this is good lol, had fun working on it though
> 
> Updated 11/22 with edits.

# 

"You are a fool, an idiot, you just lost your chance at amounting to anything other than an outcast!" 

Amity’s emotions were getting the better of her, and she did not want to be reminded about her forced position. She would not tolerate it. 

"Maybe I am an outcast, but it’s still better than being someone’s lapdog" Luz spat mockingly at her. 

Amity clenched her hands into balled fists.

_Oh, that 's it!_

Luz grinned. She was having the time of her life. She knew just how good she was at getting under other people’s skin, whether it be deliberate or not. Amity raised her right hand to draw a spell circle, summoning a fireball. Holding it, she charged at Luz at full speed, swiping her hand through the air, towards her face. 

Luz let her body fall back to the ground, dodging the flaming orb. The ground swallowed her whole body. In an instant she was spat out, her back pressed against Amity’s. 

Amity tensed, but didn’t move yet.

_What the hell?_

Luz smirked. 

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to hit me." 

Amity's blood boiled, she summoned her staff, turned around and tried to hit her opponent in the head. Luz grabbed the staff and taped her pinky and thumb together. Her fingers started to glow crimson, and Amity was stunned by the somewhat familiar action. 

"What the-?"

Luz knocked her to the ground. The soil ate Amity up, destroying some of the steel of her uniform armor. When the ground spat her out, Luz already had summoned a few fireballs to throw at her, a blackened hand pointed in Amity's direction. Amity's eyes widened momentarily, but hardened with determination as she drew her next spell circle. 

"ABOMINATION RISE!" 

The abomination rose to absorb the hit from Luz's attack and launched at her. Luz received the impact head on, and was sent flying back into a tree trunk. As her face was about to hit the ground, the earth swallowed her again. Amity looked in every direction. Had she disappeared? Of course, the moment the thought ran through her head Luz emerged from the ground right in front of her, staff in hand.. Amity raised her own and they clashed, creating a shock wave that sent them several feet back. 

Amity planted her staff on the ground and summoned another abomination. Luz dismissed her staff, she didn’t really know how to use it properly yet and wasn’t going to bother with it now. Luz tapped one of her hidden glyphs on her hand, raising an ice wall. The abomination crashed onto it, cracking it. Luz pushed the wall forward but Amity was quick to react. Amity summoned a fireball, but this time she held it in front of her lips and blew, sending a wave of flames at Luz like a flamethrower 

Luz darted out of the way, admiring the creativity of what the witch had done, while giving her an idea. She finally had the last piece she needed to make her newest glyph useful, but she would dwell more on that later. 

Luz tapped one of the glyphs on her palm, which caused vines to erupt from the ground. Amity’s left arm was restrained. She tried to free her arm from the vines when her other arm was encased in ice. Luz took off running at Amity to strike another blow, but Amity used her current position to kick off the ground, launching herself in the air in a forward spin, dodging Luz and kicking her in the back. Luz stumbled and fell to the ground, but quickly scrambled to her feet and took a defensive position.

"Whoa... nice" She whispered to herself. 

Luz was impressed, this witch really wasn't an average goon. 

Amity stuck out her tongue, and drew a spell circle to summon another abomination, this one much larger than the previous ones. The abomination freed her from bindings, and Amity climbed on top of its head, looking down at the other witch. 

"You should give up now, while you still can..." Amity planted her feet in a wide stance, standing tall.

Luz raised an eyebrow. 

_Like I’m going to give up that easily._

She wanted to see more of what the other witch could do, so she tapped her ring finger with her left thumb, and then tapped the top of her right palm with her other thumb. Her hands started crackling with electricity and the sky turned grey. Luz’s eyes found Amity’s hard gaze, and a smirk found its way to her face. 

"Not a chance." 

Amity looked up to the sky, her grip on her staff tightening.

_Oh Titan, what now._

Lightning started to fall from the sky, leveling the ground under Amity's abomination. Amity and her minion stumbled backwards, and Luz got ready to charge at her, electricity spreading to cover her entire body. In response, Amity tripled the size of the abomination, and using her staff she sent a burst of ice at Luz. Luz raised a hand and fired her electricity, shattering the ice. 

As the debris settled, Amity’s abomination sprinted towards Luz, tackling her to the ground. Luz blinked back the pain that erupted from where her head had hit the ground.

"Man... she really loves those abominations..." She groaned.

Amity was about to make another move when she felt a bolt of electricity go through her body, making her recoil in pain. As she tried to compose herself, she looked towards the sky again.

_Right, the clouds._

As she glanced up she saw the other witch fighting her abomination. Luz was dodging, striking, and spell casting at the same time, doing circles around her abomination. Even though it was frustrating, she had to admit that the witch had a lot of stamina and was extremely skilled. Amity felt herself slowing down, but spellcasting didn’t seem to affect the other witch in the slightest. As if the magic she wielded was borrowed from an outside source.

Luz finished off Amity’s abomination after a particularly powerful ice spell, encasing and shattering it in one go. Amity’s eyes widened and she quickly blasted a flurry of fire spells towards the witch. Luz was so caught up with having fun with the abomination that she had forgotten about the coven member. The fireballs hit their target, two in the abdomen and one in the face. Luz was shot back into a tree, splitting it in half and falling on top of its remains. Amity winced.

_Crap, I didn't mean to hit her so hard!_

Amity started to panic, even after everything she said, she still wanted to make a deal with the witch. And despite what people may think about her, she couldn't bear to have blood on her hands, especially someone who had not done anything wrong... She was about to check and see if they had survived, until the witch rose to their feet, swaying a bit as they stood. Her abdominal area was now exposed, revealing her dark skin. Part of her face was revealed, though not enough for Amity to recognize Luz. The burned areas of Luz’s exposed skin were slowly healing. Luz took in Amity with narrowed, calculating eyes.

"Maybe I misjudged you, you are stronger than most witches. Hell, maybe even stronger than my mentor, but even so... you are _outmatched."_

Amity recoiled in fear, taking a few steps back. She was reminded of who she had picked a fight with- the witch who scared the Emperor into sending _her_ to deal with them. Amity pressed her lips together.

_I really have to work on my anger issues._

The witch was glaring daggers at her, and Amity readied herself to face the powerful witch once more. Luz raised her hands and with clearly practiced movements, she methodically tapped three spots on the exposed skin of her torso. Three different spells now hovered in front of Luz, forming a triangle. One was a light spell, another a stun spell and the last a wind spell. With a wave of her hand, Luz fired them all at once, the shockwave from the magic sending Luz to the ground, which had been intentional. Instead of hitting the ground, the earth consumed her up once more. 

Amity was about to put up a barrier spell when suddenly, she felt a chill up her spine. Luz elbowed the back of Amity's helmet, sending her stumbling forward towards the volley of spells. All three hit her at once, and was stunned, momentarily blinded and knocked off her feet, flying towards Luz. Luz activated the plant glyph on her palm, summoning a giant vine that punched Amity into the sky, making her armor crack due to the force of the blow. 

Amity was now in full panic mode, and tried to use her sensitive ears to pinpoint the witch’s next attack. Luz tapped the wind glyph on her chest, and was flying to the sky, behind Amity. Amity could hear Luz getting dangerously close to her, so she turned around and tried to send a stunning spell her way. The spell hit the target, but to no avail.

Luz grabbed her leg and brought Amity closer to her. Luz head butted her, cracking the mask further. Amity’s vision was slowly returning to her, she summoned a fireball, holding it behind her back. When she swung her hand at the witch, Luz grabbed her hand and tapped one of her fingers, creating ice to put out the fire and freeze Amity's arm. Luz hardened her right arm, making it as solid as a concrete wall, and smashed it against Amity’s chest plate, completely shattering it. 

Amity groaned at the sharp pain that coursed through her body. She was drifting in and out of consciousness. Luz moved to Amity’s back and smashed her hardened arm against her spine, almost knocking the coven member out on the spot. Amity started falling. 

And there was nothing she could do about it. 

Until her fall was abruptly stopped. 

The witch had grasped her hand and from what Amity could tell they wore a worried expression on their face. 

Amity and Luz started descending to the ground. 

/-/-/-/ 

A few minutes later, Amity was laid down on the ground facing up. She was tired, battered, and felt utterly humiliated.

_Well, this isn’t the first time at least._

"Shit I really messed up this time..." the wild witch said, voice barely above a whisper. Her voice was strangely soothing, which sent chills down Amity's spine. 

"Can you hear me?" The witch whispered. Amity could only nod, she was too tired and likely had something broken. 

Luz put her hands on the other witch’s exposed stomach. Amity gasped at the sudden contact, but did not move. 

"I'll heal you, but please don't come back..." Luz murmured.

Amity was about to protest, but hesitated. 

"Aw, crap!" Luz exclaimed.

Amity’s brows narrowed in confusion. 

_Huh?_

"Your cracked armor must have punctured your skin..." Luz sighed.

Luz felt immensely guilty for dealing so much damage to the witch, and she wasn’t any good at healing magic. Amity’s eyelids dropped, she was fading out, and could not keep herself awake for much longer. Luz grit her teeth.

_If only I had my potions I could..._

She could not let her die, even if the witch was kind of stupid for coming back despite Luz’s warnings. Luz looked at the witch and made up her mind. 

"You’re coming with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is always welcomed but don't just say it sucks lol. Also any spelling mistakes let me know


	4. Oath of truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz takes Amity to her to destroyer's breath A.K.A her small shack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 11/25 with edits.  
> 

_ God dammit... don't die on me... _ __

Luz walked through the woods holding the guard securely in her arms. An intense wave of guilt washed over her as she took in the guard’s severe injuries, the sight of them was almost enough to make her fall to her knees. 

_I wasn't trying to hurt her so badly, I just wanted her to not come back. But of course I had_ _to get too caught up in the fight..._

Luz was afraid, afraid of the witch’s gaze, of the judgemental look she would receive. If the witch died she wouldn’t know what she would do with herself. She grit her teeth and quickened her pace to her hideout.

_ Don't think like that... she’s going to be fine.  _

_ I hope. _ __

Luz's Abomination Armor (she was thinking of changing the name) was now drenched with the witch’s blood, several drops falling to the ground. She almost gagged but swallowed down her disgust and pushed on. The witch’s body was limp but Luz could tell that they were breathing at least. 

_ She’ll be okay, it’s not like I impaled her or anything...  _

Luz shook her head.

_ Okay, thinking like this is not going to help. _ __

Luz looked up ahead, finally seeing the sickly trees that surrounded her home. She raised the barrier so they could pass through without being vaporized. As she approached, she touched the glyph on her shoulder, revealing her small shack. Luz opened the front door and stepped inside, making her way down to the dirt lab where she set the witch on the table. Underneath were the potions that she had stored just in case her glyphs failed her. She knelt down and began rifling through the bottles.

_ Come on... where is it? _

As she fumbled on the floor looking for the regeneration potion, Amity spoke. 

"What are you planning on doing to me?" Her voice came out as a whisper, startling Luz. 

Quickly she raised her black armor once more. Luz locked her eyes with the other witch. 

"I'm going to heal you, of course." 

Amity was bewildered, her eyes widening.

After another second, Luz ducked down once again to look for the potion. 

"You say that like it's so obvious, but I almost killed you, if I remember correctly." Amity responded, her voice much firmer.

"And so did I. So accidental or not, I'm going to fix it. Now shush, I'm concentrating." 

Amity did as she was told and started to look around the room. Everything was disorganized, books and notes were scattered everywhere and it smelled like dirt... Where were they? As she took in her surroundings, her eyes landed on a white board hung up on the wall. There were weird symbols scribbled on the wall and some kind of map 

_ Wait... I’ve seen this before, it's a map of the castle. Was the witch already planning to attack them by herself? _

"Aha! Found it!" Luz shot up from the floor with a potion bottle filled to the brim with yellow colored liquid. 

Luz uncapped the bottle and splashed Amity's mask, the liquid entering through the holes. 

"You could have  _ warned  _ me," Amity said sternly, in between coughs as she swallowed the potion. 

Luz shrugged, now content at not having to watch someone die. 

Amity had to admit that this person still creeped her out, especially with the black slime  _ oozing  _ from their body. Though thinking back on earlier, it does confirm that she was a witch. After she blew off pieces of slime armor, Amity could very clearly see dark skin underneath. Soon she started to feel her wounds close up, and the pain that wracked her body recede. She tried to sit up, but she felt extremely tired. Luz quickly raised a hand and pressed Amity’s shoulder, pushing her back down on the table.

"Hey! No sitting up, you lost a lot of blood, it'll take a while..." 

Amity met the witch’s concerned gaze, seeing their  _ real eyes _ , caused a wave of familiarity wash over her. 

_ Such beautiful brown eyes.  _

Before Amity could question the thought, the witch spoke up. 

"So, what's your name?" 

Amity’s eyes narrowed. 

"None of your  _ business _ ," She growled. 

Luz raised her hands placatingly. 

"Okay, yeesh. Someone's cranky," She shot back. 

Amity scowled.

"When you get punched into midair, causing your armor to tear your skin apart, making you almost bleed to death, you  _ tell me  _ if that's not worth being angry about." 

Luz winced at her words, and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. 

"Yeah, I guess you’re right..." 

Silence fell over them. Luz didn't know if she should offer something, there wasn't really anything to eat or drink in the lab. Meanwhile Amity was thinking of a question. 

"Who are you and what do you want with Belos?" Amity asked, knowing that it was hypocritical to do so when she didn't respond to the witch’s question. 

"Oh, so you do get to ask?" Luz placed her hands on her hips and smirked. 

Amity scoffed. 

"Shut up and answer me." 

Luz dropped the smirk and frowned. 

"Alright, alright, so  _ mean, _ " Luz hopped onto the table, making Amity jump. "Well... people call me many names, the wanderer, the creature, the embodiment of darkness, and my favorite and by far the most popular- the Marauder. As for our pal Belos... you could say that we have some unfinished business." 

Amity hummed.

_ The Marauder... how fitting. _ __

_ " _ You mentioned something about a deal, what is it?" Luz asked. 

Luz doubted she would receive an answer, but she now wanted to know. If she thought about it, the witch did come to speak to her peacefully before Luz started to insult her. 

Luz was just scared, she was so close to finishing her plans, all for the leader of the Emperor’s Coven to come in and ruin everything. She didn't trust her at the time, and that still hadn’t changed but she was willing to listen, since she had almost killed the witch. 

Amity gave her a disbelieving look before launching into an explanation. 

"Well before our fight started, I wanted to forge an alliance with you. I wanted you to help me take down the Emperor, although it seems like you already have similar plans, so you’re in, right?" She said, her voice filled with confidence. 

"Woah, hold on,” Luz raised a hand. “I haven't agreed to anything. In fact I think i'll pass." Luz waved dismissively at the witch. 

"What?! Why?!" Amity said incredulously. 

How could she possibly not accept her offer? Was it because she still didn’t trust her?

"Because, this could be some scheme to trap me! How am I supposed to trust someone who works directly for him?" 

Amity winced. The witch did have a point there.

_ Shit, think Amity, THINK!  _

Luz could tell that they were panicking. She thought back to a memory from a few years ago, about her rival turned friend and their first proper meeting. 

_ The Everlasting Oath.  _

Luz decided to test the coven member, there was no way she’d accept their offer if they were lying or planning to capture her. 

"After thinking it through, I’ve decided that you could be a very valuable ally for my plan with your inside knowledge. I propose making an oath." Luz extended her hand, a golden circle forming around it. 

Amity froze for a moment, if she agreed, there was no turning back. 

So, she thought about everything that had happened in the past few years. Innocents being held captive, Eda’s capture and petrification, the Emperor killing Luz,  _ her Luz.  _

A fire started to brew inside Amity, her amber eyes were filled with determination. She spoke, her voice unwavering.

"I pledge myself to your cause, Marauder." 

_This is for everyone who_ _has been wronged by the Emperor. And especially for you Luz, I refuse to let you down_ _again._

The slime covering Luz’s hand retracted, revealing weird but familiar looking tattoos on her skin. Amity didn’t focus on them but rather at the witch’s expression, which was one of bewilderment. 

"Did not expect that," Luz raised an eyebrow,

Amity reached for the Marauder’s hand and shook it firmly, completing the process. 

"So partner, feeling better?" Luz asked, placing a hand under her chin as she examined the witch. 

"I guess,” Amity shifted, straightening her posture. “What was your  _ plan  _ anyways, are you trying to dethrone him?". 

"Of course not, I couldn't care less for the throne. My plan was to release my old mentor and everyone else who has been unjustly imprisoned by that  _ tyrant.  _ It was supposed to be a get-in-get-out kind of deal but I'm guessing that you want  _ more _ ." 

Amity stared blankly at her. 

"What are you implying?" Amity asked, a little nervous at the look the witch was giving her. 

"I'm saying that you want the throne. So I'm just going to warn you, if I see you follow in Belos’ footsteps,  _ I will end you."  _

Amity felt a lump form in her throat, and swallowed hard as she responded. 

"Don't worry, I'm nothing like him. I'm doing this for my people." 

Luz just looked at her, and after a few seconds she sighed. 

"Alright... I guess we should start making some plans before you have to leave." 

Amity let out a breath of relief. She nodded to herself.

_ I can do this. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So let me know if this suck or not an if there are any inconsistencies, criticism is always welcomed.


	5. Radioactive Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Marauder remembers her last few moments as Luz Noceda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for self harm and blood.  
> Updated 11/25 with edits.

After they had agreed to join forces, Amity went on her way, leaving Luz alone, with only her thoughts to keep her company. Before her thoughts could overwhelm her, she went to work on her newest idea. Which involved carving glyphs, again. Luz sighed and removed her armor.

_ Yeah, so that's going to be fun.  _

She snatched a knife off the table. Then she walked to the side of the room and picked up a medium sized mirror, hanging it up next to her board to get a better view of her newest and most destructive glyph. It would be her trump card if things went south, and she was sure that no one knew about it. It had taken years of observing and searching to get the glyph, and months after that to realize what it could do. Luz clenched her hands into fists. She could not wait to lay the castle to ruins. 

She didn't even understand the glyph that well, all she knew was that it was dangerous for anyone nearby, herself included if she wasn’t wearing her armor. Luz had been searching for a way to use it properly, but until today she hadn't been successful. Thanks to the guard and her makeshift flamethrower from earlier, Luz knew what set of glyphs she needed and went to carve them. She opened her mouth a little hesitantly, knowing that it was going to hurt a lot. 

Luz drew the knife towards her mouth, careful to not cut her lips. As she started to carve the first glyph on her tongue, blood started to drip down her lips, pooling on her chin. Intense pain wracked her entire mouth. 

_ Mierda...  _

She continued to carve until she finally had a circle carved on her tongue, now she just had to clean her mouth a bit, the blood was not easy to see through. After cleaning with a towel, she started on the details. Luz drew a smaller circle inside the first one, and then went on to carve six lines that went from a small circle to a larger one. Some of the lines were closer to each other making the shape of a trefoil. Once she finished the glyph her mouth was a bloody mess. Luz grabbed some water she had stored inside a small container in the corner of the room to wash the blood out of her mouth. Now onto the wind glyph. 

_ Oh, boy... _ __

_ \\-\\-\ _

Luz was completely exhausted, to say the least. The wind glyph had taken ages to carve since, she had to draw it deeper inside her mouth. She had planned to go to the Owl House to check on King, Owlbert, and Hooty, but carving had taken a toll on her. So, Luz decided to just lay upstairs for a while. She walked up the stairs, reaching her makeshift bed, and threw herself on top of it. 

"I’ll go tomorrow at some point, they’ll be fine."

Luz stared at the ceiling for a while before thoughts of the past began to consume her. She thought of her first few days in the Boiling Isles, how happy she had been. Luz had finally felt like part of a group, a second family. 

Then she remembered befriending Amity, how rewarding it had been to go from basically hating each other to becoming an inseparable duo, how she would feel all fuzzy and warm inside whenever she spent time with the witch. To this day, Luz didn’t know what to make of her strong feelings for Amity. How she wished she could go see her, and tell her how much she meant to her. But she couldn’t. Luz ran a hand over her face and closed her eyes.

_ How did things get like this? How did I mess up so bad... _ __

**_5 years ago_ **

It had been almost a week since Eda's capture, and four days since her first failed attempt at rescuing her. Luz had fought with Belos, who in all honesty had been playing with her. She still managed to land a blow on him, cracking his mask, which proved that maybe he was not invincible. 

Oh, how wrong she had been to think that way. 

After that Luz destroyed her only way back home, delaying the plan Belos had planned, at least for the time being. When she reached the underground chambers of the castle, she threw a plant glyph (Ah, simpler times) at the petrification statue, destroying it and sending chunks of stone scattering across the floor. Luz prepared to free Eda, Lilith, and King from their cell except, there were guards everywhere. She acted quickly and threw fire glyphs at the floor, activating them with Owlbert. This ended up knocking a few of them to the ground, leaving a handful left. Luz threw one of her last glyphs close to the cage, breaking it open and freeing Eda, Lilith, and King. Eda dispatched the rest of the guards with her giant wings and it actually looked like they were going to make it out. 

But they didn't. At least, not everyone did.

More guards kept coming and coming, leaving them with no way to escape. Kikimora showed up, and Luz could only manage to grab King, leaving her feeling frustrated.

Now she was pacing around in her bedroom plotting. Well, not really plotting. The only "plan" she had was to sneak in and out with Eda. She rubbed a hand over her face and sighed.

_ Ah yes going in without a plan, a very Luz Noceda thing to do. _ __

How she wished she could go back and slap herself for being so stupid.

Since returning with King to the Owl House, she had spent the last few days drawing glyphs nonstop, desperation and rage fueling her with energy. Luz was really tired but she refused to go to sleep. She was going to fix this, no matter how many times she would suddenly pass out from exhaustion. Not to mention Luz was really hungry, scratch that, she was  _ extremely _ hungry. King had to remind her to eat meals, which she begrudgingly accepted at first, but now a day had passed since her last meal, not that there was much to eat anyway with Eda gone. Once Luz was finished drawing a satisfactory amount of glyphs, she stood on her feet, stumbling a bit before she caught herself. Shegrabbed her cape where it had been tossed on the bed. 

As Luz was putting it on, she heard a knock on the door. She grabbed Eda's staff in case it was someone from the Emperor’s Coven. 

"Hello?" Someone called from outside. 

Luz's eyes widened.

Amity? 

_ Amity.  _

Luz opened the door slowly. She must have looked awful, because Amity just stared blankly at her in shock. 

/-/-/-/ 

Amity was also consumed by thoughts of the past. Her heart clenched and she wished that things had turned out different. 

That she could’ve been there for Luz when her friend needed her.

**_5 years ago_ **

Amity remembered the last time she visited the Owl House, the moment she had gotten out of her cast she sprinted towards the house. How she almost faceplanted a couple of times on the way due to her excitement to see her friend. All Amity wanted was to see her, to scream at her for how reckless she had been, and hug her until the day was over. How when she arrived, she abruptly stopped in her tracks a few feet away from the door, noting the lingering silence in the air, an uncharacteristic feature of the Owl House. 

Amity didn’t know how the battle at the castle ended, since the newscasters had cut the transmission. She hesitated on knocking on the door, afraid of what she would see, _afraid_ _of what she would not see._ After a few seconds of deliberation, she mustered up enough to lightly rap on the door. Amity heard footsteps inside, but they stopped. 

"Hello?" She said, looking at Hooty as he slept. 

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

_ He’s never this quiet...  _

The door creaked open. Amity's heart rate quickened as she took notice of the poor state Luz was in. Her face was pale, she had dark circles under her eyes, they didn’t hold their usual light. They looked almost hollow. Amity swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat and managed to break the silence. 

"Luz, are you okay?" 

Luz's face fellat the question, and Amity mentally slapped herself. 

_ Stupid question. Of course she’s not! _

Amity pressed her lips together before trying again.

“I’m sorry, that was stupid to ask,” She shifted on her feet. ”What happened?" 

It took everything Luz had to not break down right then and there. 

"I couldn't save her..." Her voice came out faint, barely a whisper.

Amity’s heart shattered at how downtrodden Luz looked. What Amity already guessed was confirmed, but still she didn’t know what to say. Instead of speaking again, she decided to embrace her friend, a show of how she would always be there for her. 

_ Liar. _ __

Luz guided them inside, still wrapped in each other’s arms. 

**_Now_ **

Amity shook her head. 

_ Now is not the time for this.  _

She was so close to the end now. Amity had hope that her friend was still out there, somewhere, but recently the thought had become more and more unlikely. Too much time had passed, and if Luz was ever going to come back, she would have done so by now. And even then, the Emperor had said that he had eradicated any potential wild witches out there, and that would include Luz, right? 

Amity would be a liar if she said she had not searched for her. She could not believe that her friend was dead, it had to be impossible. But maybe the Emperor was telling the truth. Afterall, it had been years since she’d last seen her. 

But she was Luz! She always managed to come out on top, and it wasn’t like her to just disappear, not unless something happened... 

Amity reached the end of the forest and looked back. 

_ I hope you're still out there... _

_ \\-\\-\ _ __

_ Ugh... _ __

Amity made her way back to the castle. She planned to change out of her uniform and go back to her house, but of course it wouldn't be  _ that  _ easy _.  _ The Emperor called her in, probably to report on what she had done today. 

_ Let’s just get this over with.  _

She walked throughout the maze of corridors that winded throughout the castle, hearing the beat of the giant bile-sack grow louder as she approached the throne room. Amity paused to look at the doors, and took a deep breath. 

_ It’s going to be fine... _ __

As the gigantic doors opened, she could not help but feel dread at the thought of having another conversation with  _ him.  _ She entered and bowed as Belos looked at her expectantly. 

"How did it go?" He asked, straight to the point as always. 

Amity looked up and stood up straight.

"I could not capture them, but I am certain she is a witch." 

Belos continued to scrutinize her, his eyes scanning her for any sign of weakness. 

"It seems the witch is more powerful than you thought." 

Amity glanced down at her cracked armor and grimaced. 

_ I should have changed...  _

_ " _ Yes, she was-" 

"Who healed you?" Belos interrupted her mid sentence. 

Amity's face paled, more than it already was. She avoided eye contact and looked down at the floor. What was she going to say? 

_ The witch carried me to her secret hideout, healed me, and plotted against you with me?  _

Amity needed to think fast. She couldn't say that the witch had healed her, let alone almost killed her. Otherwise, Belos would think she was too incompetent to fight them alone and would send her with reinforcements. 

"No one healed me, only my armor took the-" 

"We both know that's not what happened, you clearly took quite the beating. Do not fret Ms. Blight, you will still have the assignment for the rest of the week, just remember that if you fail me you will be stripped of your rank _. And I don't have to remind you what happens after that, do  _ _ I?" _ __

_ “ _ No, your excellency,” She looked up at the Emperor to be met with a cold stare. 

"Then you are dismissed." 

Amity turned on her heels and exited the room as quickly as she could. As the doors closed behind her she let out a sigh of relief. She was sweating, and her heart was hammering in her chest. The witch smirked at herself, thankfully she hadn't been caught. Amity was glad she didn’t have to answer who had healed her, that would have gone poorly. The question seemed to have gone over his head. She quickly made her way out of the castle. 

Amity should have known that the Emperor never forgets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Logest chapter and idk if I like it or not. Criticism always welcomed.


	6. Belos, The True fear bringer of the boiling isles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz's final moments before being thrown off of a roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for violence, blood and some torture elements.  
> Updated 11/25 with edits.

Luz opened her eyes, she couldn't sleep, and had not been able to do so properly for some time. She was always on high alert, she could not afford to get caught by the Emperor’s Coven. The possibility of it happening was slim, but she was afraid of Belos himself knocking at her door. Luz knew that she stood a fair chance against the Emperor, but the lingering fear of him from all those years ago still made her second guess herself and her abilities. He had the mental edge on her. 

That's why she created her persona, to hide from her insecurities and from being recognized and mocked. If he were to find out who she was, he would beat her physically and mentally. The pressure of failing again was crushing her. Her vision started to blur. Luz started to sweat and her chest tightened, crushing her insides, or at least that's what it felt like. 

Her ability to breathe seemingly disappeared and her body started shaking uncontrollably. Luz tried to get up from the bed, but her shaky legs failed her, causing her to fall flat on the wooden floor. The world around her started to fade. Darkness was closing in and she could do nothing to stop it. Her eyes shut. 

**_5 years ago_ **

"Luz, what is that?" 

As they both held each other on the couch, Amity spotted a bag full of papers on the table that sat in front of them. Luz’s eyes widened.

"Oh... it's just some good ol' fan art! Y-you know Azura stuff..." 

Amity gave her a strange look, she knew something was up. Then she took notice of the purple cape strewn across a chair. 

"What’s the cape for?" Amity cocked her head questioningly.

Luz gulped and started to look around frantically, seemingly searching for the right words to say. 

"It's just a little chilly in here," Luz squeaked.

Beads of sweat started to cascade down from her forehead, and her face started to flush. In all honesty, Luz was a terrible liar. Amity frowned.

"Luz, where are you going? What are you not telling me?" Amity stood up, a slight scowl on her features. 

Luz knew there was no way she could talk herself out of this, but she tried anyway. 

"I'm going to get Eda back Amity... I know it didn’t work out the first time, but now I'm more prepared-" Amity stomped her foot on the floor, cutting off Luz. 

"Are you crazy! You're going to get KILLED if you go in alone." 

Luz scooted back on the couch, a little taken aback by the outburst. She frowned at Amity.

"Are you saying I should just abandon Eda, after everything she’s done for me? No way! She did nothing wrong!” Luz looked down at her hands, speaking softly. “It's my fault she’s in there in the first place." 

Amity stood her ground. 

"That's not what I meant, I know there is no stopping you, but you can't seriously believe that you can take the Emperor all by yourself!" 

Luz eyes widened. 

"What are you-" 

"I'm going with you." 

A chill ran down Luz's spine. She wanted to go alone so that her friends wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences, especially Amity since she would be putting her future at risk, which was something Luz wouldn’t allow. 

"Amity, you can't be serious. What about your dream? Your future? I can't let you throw your life away like that..." Luz’s face fell.

Amity sighed.

"Luz, after watching what they did to Eda, do you really think I still want to join the Emperor’s Coven? I don't care what my parents think, I already know what I want." 

Amity had really come a long way since she met her. Luz was very proud of her friend, and knowing she had helped made her heart soar. But even Luz believed that Amity didn’t know what she was getting into. She would be a fugitive for the rest of her life. There was no way Luz could let her ruin her life 

"Amity..." Luz started.

"Luz, there is nothing you can say that will change my mind! I'm going and that's final!" 

Luz just deflated, was there anything she could do to change her mind? Luz doubted it. She sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I guess I can't... Alright, let me get my glyphs from my room,” Luz turned around and called out over her shoulder. “Hooty, keep Amity company!" 

"WHa-" Amity took a step back.

"Hello, FRIEND-" Hooty swooped into the room to pester the poor Blight. 

Luz clenched her fists, face set in resolve.

_ There's nothing I can say... but there is something I can do. _

With Amity’s back to her, distracted by Hooty, Luz raised Eda’s staff. 

"I'm sorry," She murmured.

\\-\\-\ 

Luz made her way back to the castle. After leaving Amity asleep on the couch, she told King to keep an eye on her, and even though he had protested at first, in the end he complied. She felt sick to her stomach for what she had done, but there was no way she was going to endanger her friends again. Belos might have spared them the first time, but she knew that this time they wouldn’t be so lucky.

Thinking back on it, maybe there was some other less painful way to do what she had to do, but Luz was just so afraid of losing Amity that she had acted without thinking. Though it brought relief that she was out of harm’s way, would Amity hate her for what she’d done? The thought makes her stomach squirm, after how hard she worked for their friendship, she could have potentially ruined everything between them. Luz stopped in her tracks. 

"What if I did ruin it?" She whispered to herself, too distracted to notice the halls were completely empty, not a guard in sight. 

There was no time to dwell on the repercussions of her actions. Pushing thoughts of Amity to the back of her mind, Luz focused on reaching the lower level of the castle, where her mentor was being held. 

\\-\\-\ 

Now she found herself in the dark, with her light glyph providing the only source of light. The corridors were tight and had a few jail cells on either side of the hallway, but they were all unkempt and empty. Even so, Luz checked every single one, just to make sure. She found nothing. 

As she kept moving forward, she spotted a large door at the end of the corridor, visible only thanks to her light orb. Luz reached the door and slowly opened it to reveal a familiar room. It was Belos’ underground throne room. Luz didn’t want to admit it, but coming to the castle without knowing the layout first had been a horrible idea. 

_ Crap, now what? _

Suddenly her senses were flooded by an unwelcome presence. 

“I see you have come back to rescue your mentor.”

Luz whipped her head towards the throne. There was  _ nothing _ . The room was dark making it hard to see, but she swore she saw someone moving in the shadows. 

"What's wrong, human? Afraid?" 

Before Luz could react, a red aura enveloped her body. Her body started to levitate. Suddenly, her whole body was flung at the throne, breaking it on impact. 

"AGH!" She yelled as pain blossomed on her backside. 

By the voice alone Luz already knew who she was dealing with, the question was- where is he? Stifling a groan, she slowly stood up, scanning the area. 

"I admit you are brave, though very cocky,” Belos chuckled. “You thought that by cracking a fragment of my mask, you could beat me? You’re quite an amusing creature, I must say..." 

"Show yourself!” Luz growled. “Now!" 

Luz slowly made her way to the middle of the room, staying on guard as she approached. As she walked, she heard a sound coming from one of the far pillars. She quickly drew an ice glyph from her bag and threw it on the floor. Ice shot towards the pillar, breaking it. Concrete flew everywhere, hitting more pillars, which started to go down. 

_ Oh no.  _

The ceiling above started to crumble, sending chunks of concrete raining down to the ground. Luz quickly drew a glyph, creating a small shield to protect herself. 

_ That was close... _

Now there was dust everywhere, making it even more difficult to see, though, some light filtered in from the now partially caved in roof. The ground started to rumble beneath her feet. 

"You certainly are messy." 

The floor she was standing on rose with such speed that it made her fly through the hole in the ceiling. Luz landed with a thud in the corridor above. She quickly got on her feet and sprinted off to find Eda and run away from  _ him.  _

_ " _ What's wrong, human?” Belos taunted. “Not in the mood to fight?" 

His voice echoed from everywhere, and she was panicking. 

"Well,” He drawled. “I do like a good hunt." 

The floor in front of Luz shot up, reforming into a wall which her face smacked into. Luz fell backwards, clutching her now bloodied nose. Her ears picked up footsteps behind her. Her body was raised in the air, covered in red energy. Now she was face to face with Belos. 

"WHERE’S EDA?" She screamed at the tyrant. 

His expression remained cold, and his icy blue eyes bore into Luz, sending shivers down her spine. 

"You are in no position to ask questions." He replied calmly. 

"You should not have come back, I believe you are starting to realize..." 

Still raised in the air, Luz’s hand slipped inside her bag to search for a glyph while Belos turned his back to her. 

"...That you do not belong here, and never will. You will be held captive until the portal is completed. Then we will cross to your realm and the Titan’s goal will be-" 

Luz threw a plant glyph at the Emperor's feet, already tapped. 

Vines shot up from the floor, making the Emperor stumble backwards. The vines were massive and kept growing upwards, Luz jumped onto one, successfully escaping to the upper levels of the castle. 

For now. 

\\-\\-\ 

Now Luz found herself even more lost. She knew that she was in the upper levels of the castle, but the corridors all looked the same. She felt trapped here, she didn’t know where Eda was, the Emperor was searching for her, so everything had taken a turn for the worse. As she walked through the castle she began to hear whispers of very familiar voices.

_ You don't belong here. _ __

_ Be your friend? You're just a human.  _

_ Mija, why can't you just be normal? _ __

_ You always need me to get you out of trouble, kid. _ __

Luz pressed her hands to her ears to try to drown out the whispers, but it didn’t work.

_ What the hell...  _

She continued walking, but her vision started to spiral. Luz’s head started pounding, and the voices grew louder. 

"What's wrong, can't handle a few illusions?" 

Random objects in the corridor were lifted in the air and flew in her direction at high speeds. She drew, tapped, and threw a fire glyph, destroying some of the objects hurtling towards her. Luz felt a sharp pain from the back of her head, causing her to stumble forward and fall onto her knees. 

"Hm, I don't believe your mentor would be proud of this pathetic display," Belos appeared in front of her, rising from shadows on the ground. He raised a hand engulfed in electricity. "Not that she ever was." 

Luz got up abruptly to throw a glyph at the Emperor but she was once again hit with a flying object, striking her on the side of the head. 

"GAH!" She struggled to remain on her feet, holding a hand to her head.

Belos shot a lightning bolt at Luz, which sent her flying back, slamming into a wall. The whispers grew more intense as Belos approached her, she swore she was seeing things. She rose to her feet, her head throbbing. 

The Emperor summoned his staff and pointed it at her. The room started shaking violently, almost making Luz fall. More objects from around the castle flew at Luz. She was able to dodge some of them but her energy was quickly dwindling. The windows began cracking, but Luz didn’t notice as she was too preoccupied with dodging. 

The glass finally shattered, yet instead of dropping to the ground, the shards remained in the air and started floating towards Luz. Some of the shards sliced her arms, making her bleed. The others dug themselves in her abdomen. Luz screamed in pain.

  
  


As her concentration faltered the objects in the air hit her, and Luz tried to dodge but she couldn’t evade them. She unknowingly started to walk backwards in the direction of the window that had broken moments prior. She stumbled, falling through the window onto a ledge with a slight angle that would grow steeper as one walked forward. The wind whipped through her hair, disorienting her further. Her head was killing her and as Luz touched it, she realized she was bleeding. Belos stepped through the window, the voices and the images that flooded her mind grew stronger as he slowly made her way over to her. 

She could see Amity, with a disgusted look on her face glaring at her. 

_ I was never your friend, I hung out with you only out of pity. _

Tears formed in the corner of Luz’s eyes.

_ What is he doing to me!?  _

Then she saw Eda, her mom, Willow, and Gus turning their backs towards her and leaving. 

Luz reached out to them, but they disappeared.

_ No don't!  _

It was useless, they were gone. Luz looked back to Amity, who held a scowl on her face. 

_ Amity?  _

Amity turned away from her. 

Luz gasped.

_ Oh no, no!  _

Amity began walking away and Luz tried to reach out to stop her friend from leaving her. But when she jumped to grab her, she disappeared, causing Luz to fall onto her hands and knees. 

Belos chuckled.

"Ah, so that is what you fear." 

Luz snapped her head up and glared at him. 

"You know I should probably do something about your friends. Poor Blight, she had so much potential..." 

The Emperor enjoyed taunting her, he hadn’t had this much fun in awhile. Luz refused to let him harm Amity. She stood up and grabbed two glyphs, one of ice, one of fire. She slapped them together, creating a smoke screen of sorts. After that Luz threw some plant glyphs on the floor, aimed at the Emperor. Belos easily dodged her attacks, but Luz threwa light glyph that landed inches away from his face, blinding him. 

"Okay, that's enough." He said, slightly annoyed. 

Belos pointed with his staff to the floor, completely freezing it over. Luz started to slip and Belos regained his sight. Belos melted into the ground and rose behind Luz, hitting her over the head with his staff. She winced from the pain, but tried to remain on her feet. She was stopped by a discharge of electric current that the Emperor had thrown at her from the back, making her roll to the edge of the roof. Then, Belos grabbed her with his red aura, and pinned her to the ground. The pressure was too much for Luz’s body, her bones were on the verge of cracking. 

"I have grown tired of this game of yours...You have two options, human. Either leave and never come back to Bonesborough and I leave your friends alone, or keep fighting and die in the process. If you choose this path I'll send my entire army to capture every single person that has ever interacted with you, and I will petrify them,” Belos’ eyes brightened, the icy blue glare he leveled at Luz chilled her to her core “What do you choose?" 

Luz felt a spike of dread. Be alone, or die and take everyone with her? The choice was obvious, but she didn’t want to be all alone. Yet, there was no way she could beat him. Not now, and not like this, when he was just toying with her. 

Belos took a step towards Luz, slamming his staff into the ground.

"If you do not want to be alone, maybe you should have thought things through before coming here. Now hurry up, I don't have all day for this nonsense." 

Luz glared at him, but bit back a scathing retort. She had made her choice, and now she had to live with it. 

"I'll leave, for good," She croaked, mouth dry.

"That’s what I thought," Belos levitated her, moving her past the edge of the roof. 

"WHA-" Luz looked down, she was suspended several stories high. There was no way she would survive if she hit the ground. 

"Good, luck on the way down," Belos released her from his grasp, making her plummet through the air. 

As Luz fell, she rifled through her pockets, looking for a glyph that could help her survive. Her glyphs started to fly out of her bag. 

"No!" She was able to grab hold of a plant glyph which she quickly tapped. Vines started to grow erratically in every direction. Luz rode the vines to the outskirts of the castle, where she fell off, covering herself in dirt. She got on her feet, legs shaking. Her eyes stung with tears, she had failed for the second time. 

"I'm alone,” Tears streamed down her face. “I can't go back home, and now I have nowhere to go here..." 

Luz had lost everything. She had never felt so utterly defeated. She took a few first steps forward. Luz was trying not to cry, but it was too hard. She had ruined everything, first the life of her mentor and now her friendships.

Luz started to run towards the woods, where no one would find her, tears mixing with the dried blood on her face. 

She had no one. 

That was her greatest fear of all. 

**_Now_ **

Luz woke up and found herself sprawled across the floor, dried tears caking her face. Wiping the tears away, she forced herself to sit upright and clenched her jaw. 

She needed to pull herself together, afterall, the head of the Emperor’s Coven would soon arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a huge thank you to @Lexa_Alycia for Beta reading the entire work and making it actually readable. Seriously means a lot. Next time I'll try to not make it so painful lol. Also check her stuff out, she has some straight bangers over there, so yeah go read! And as for chapter seven, it will probably be done by next week, but idk don't get your hopes up.


	7. The face behind the forest dweller.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity finds out the truth... how will she move forward?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading up to this point.

Amity opened her tired eyes, she hadn't slept for long. How could she? She was just a few days away from possibly overthrowing the most powerful magic user and the Emperor of the Boiling Isles for more than fifty years. How would people react to the sudden change if it were to occur? And what about the Marauder? Did she really trust her? Amity closed her eyes and sighed.

_ There's no point dwelling on it, I have to get out of bed. _

Amity pushed her covers to the side, glancing around the room to gather her bearings. Her room was mostly empty, aside from her bed and a modest wardrobe off to the side of the room. She sat up and took a moment before getting up and heading towards the bathroom to get ready.

After a few minutes she went downstairs to her living room, which was just as empty as the rest of the house. In the corner of the darkened room her armor was hanging on a rack.

She  _ really _ hated it.

Since Eda and Lilith’s petrification, the Emperor’s Coven had become even more militaristic. Now everyone wore similar, heavy armor, rid of any personality. Obviously not all uniforms were exactly the same, for every coven there was a colored stripe that ran down the shoulder, and coven leaders had their shoulder pad completely painted over with their respective logos on top. Their helmets still looked like the classic plague masks but they were also colored to match. All in the name of unity. Her own mask was white, indicating that she was the head of the Emperor’s Coven. Amity disliked the mask the most, it made her feel trapped, always suffocating. 

She walked towards the rack, already dreading the process of having to put it on. 

_ Hopefully I won't have to deal with this anymore after the week’s end. _

_ \\-\\-\ _

As she opened the front door, Amity saw the sun slowly rising over the houses in the neighborhood, painting them with an orange glow.

Even inside her armor she could feel the cool air, it was close to that time of year. Where children would play outside in the snow and be rewarded with gifts if they had behaved through the year. Where families would come together to spend time with each other. Amity briefly wondered how that might feel. Sure her parents always organized a reunion, but she didn’t go anymore, she’d much rather hang out with the twins. Sure they were annoying, but not as much as they used to be. She knew she could count on them, and they could count on her. But even with them she felt that something was missing. Amity pushed those thoughts to the back of the mind, she’d rather not think about it. 

Amity realised that she had been standing in front of her gate for the past five minutes, so she decided that opening it was probably a good idea. 

After opening and closing the gate, she turned left. The walk to the woods wasn’t too long, it only took about 15 minutes to reach the outskirts of the forest. As Amity continued walking, more and more people poured out into the streets. Most of them glanced at her as she passed by, and there were very few looks, if none, of admiration. And who could blame them? The Emperor had tightened his grasp on the citizens of the Isles. The guards were more hostile, people weren't allowed to use magic outside of work, and even Hexide was affected. Witches could no longer pick multiple tracks to study, which had come into effect when Luz disappeared. 

And sadly for her, she was the face of the Emperor’s Coven. The feared enforcer of the Emperor’s will. Amity was the center of every propaganda piece the Bard Coven released. She instilled fear with her power and somewhat mysterious appearance in the Coven. Most people didn't know her true identity, and while she was thankful for it, what she was known for wasn't much better. She had ruined the lives of many people, and she hated herself for it. But now she finally had a shot to make things right, to make them better. 

As Amity made her way to the forest, she spotted a familiar figure in the distance. They were currently opening the door to their small plant business. Upon hearing Amity’s footsteps, the woman turned her head. Willow smiled and waved at her.

“Hi.”

A small smile made its way on Amity’s face, even if it couldn’t be seen. She approached her oldest friend.

“Hey, Willow.” 

Willow examined her for a second before responding.

“Would you like to come inside?”

Amity hesitated. She could let Willow know about what was happening in a few days or at least warn her to stay away. It would be quick, Amity didn’t want to anger the Marauder for running late to their planned meeting.

Amity nodded.

“Sure, but I can't stay for long.”

Willow opened the door for her.

“Well come on in before people start looking at us.”

Amity and Willow made their way inside the small establishment. After reaching the counter and sitting down, Willow offered her some tea which she accepted. After a few minutes and Amity growing a little impatient, Willow finally returned with a hot mug in hand. Willow placed it gently on the counter. Amity was about to take off her helmet, but her hands froze mid action. Willow noticed and spoke up.

“There's no one here, you're safe. Plus I haven't hung up the sign.” Willow said, pointing across the room to the front door. 

Amity calmed down and removed her helmet, putting it down on the counter close to her. She took a sip of the chamomile tea Willow had prepared, she had to admit Willow made some great tea. Willow cocked her head at Amity quizzically.

"Are you going to attend the Day of Unity?" 

Amity almost choked on her tea. 

"W-What?" She coughed.

Willow looked at her questioningly before answering. 

"The Day of Unity, it was announced yesterday over the news and it's scheduled for the end of the week. You hadn't heard?" 

Amity paled.

_ Why now of all times would Belos hold that stupid event? No one even knows what it’s about... This is bad. The Marauder and I have to be even more careful now, too many people will be attending this event and I'm not risking anyone’s life other than mine. Dammit Belos… _

"Amity? You there? Do you want more tea, it's good for stress!" Willow asked, trying to be cheerful for her friend.

Amity returned from her thoughts and gave Willow a grateful smile. 

"I'm fine, that won't be necessary. I've just been very busy these past couple of days. Thanks for letting me know." 

Amity took another sip before continuing.

"I want to ask you, as a favor, please don't attend. I've heard rumors of an attack on the castle and the event would be the perfect opportunity for someone to take advantage of," Amity pleaded. 

Willow shook her head.

"No can do, I already promised Gus that we were going. We'll be fine, you’re going to be there, and not to mention Belos will be there, so I doubt someone would attack," Willow said dismissively.

"Willow you don't understand, if a fight were to happen, there would be too many people for me to protect. Please don't go…" Amity was now panicking, she didn’t want her friends to be in danger.

Willow raised her eyebrow.

"Amity, you need to relax. Gus and I are more than capable of handling ourselves. And we’ll be there to help you out if anything happens,” Willow took Amity’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “We need to stick together, that's what Luz would want" 

_ Oh Titan, I made it worse. Now she wants to come and help… And Luz… I can't say no to her. _

"I-I guess… you’re right," Amity sighed. "But please be careful, I won't be able to do much." 

"Why not?"

Amity’s eyes widened.

_ Shit. _

"I will be there… but behind the scenes... you could say?" Amity replied rather quickly and uneasily.

Willow gave her a suspicious look. Amity was clearly hiding something from her, but Willow decided she wasn't going to pry any further.

"Okay,” Willow laced her fingers together. ”By the way, weren't you going somewhere?" She asked. 

Amity gasped, nearly jumping out of her seat. 

"I'm going to be late!" 

Amity grabbed her helmet and quickly put it on as Willow chuckled at her friend.

"Thanks for the tea, bye!" Amity ran out of the store.

Willow shook her head as she watched Amity disappear around the corner.

"What are you up to Amity?" She asked herself.

She was worried for her friend. The position she was in was tough, and even though Amity put on a facade, Willow knew she was hurting. Amity had never fully healed from what had happened to Luz.

Willow was frustrated, she couldn’t seem to crack Amity. She never wanted to speak about herself. Every time Willow asked, Amity avoided the question or refused to say anything. It was infuriating how persistent Amity was at keeping to herself. She felt like she had failed Amity as a friend.

_ If only Luz were here… Amity misses you a lot, you would be able to get through to her. _

Willow sighed. 

"What would Luz do…" She contemplated for a minute or two before grabbing her mug and heading towards the side room. 

/-/-/

Amity sprinted through the woods, her feet pounding against the ground. She wasn't about to be late, she was never late. As she continued down the path, she spotted the sickly trees, and further ahead she could see the thick cloud that shrouded the cabin and the surrounding area.

_ I wonder why it's like this… _

She approached the cabin, raising a shield to protect her body from the toxic fumes. Amity reached the front steps and took them two at a time. She stood in front of the door and knocked. A few seconds passed and the door swung open.

"You made it," The Marauder said with a hint of disdain, though it didn’t seem to be directed at her specifically.

Luz glanced behind Amity. 

"Did you make sure no one was following you?" 

Amity shook her head. 

"No one would want to follow me into the forest, trust me," Amity replied confidently.

Luz kept staring at the trees, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Right… Come in," Luz stepped to the side and allowed Amity inside. 

Amity gave the Marauder a side glance as she followed her inside.

_ She seems out of it... _

They walked down the stairs to Luz's dirtlab, the room was a little more organized than last time. Luz made her way over to the board, which displayed the map to the castle. Luz looked at it for a moment, thinking of where to start. Amity stepped forward to inspect the map and realized that it was outdated.

"This map isn't going to be of much help, the rooms that are here for example," She pointed to a storage room in the far back. "Are no longer in use. Where did you get this from?" 

Luz turned back to face Amity, their eyes locked. They felt something pass through them, especially Luz, but they both pushed it down.

"Honestly, I don't remember but I’ve had it for a long time," Luz looked back at the map. "Since you know every nook and cranny there is to this place, you should start identifying each room." 

Luz walked towards the table in the middle of the room and grabbed a pencil. She offered it to Amity, but before she could take the pencil, Luz pulled back. 

"Before you start marking any of the rooms, I want you to tell me where the petrified witches are, and where the portal is."

Amity’s brows furrowed.

"Why is that even important? There's like ten other rooms that should be prioritized. I can mark that later."

Luz glared at Amity. The question pissed her off more that she would like to admit, made worse by Amity's dismissive tone.

"I don't  _ care _ about the others _ ,  _ just mark  _ it _ ," Luz replied with the most threatening voice she could muster. 

She knew she probably was being irrational, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Even though Amity was still a little afraid of the Marauder, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at being ordered around, even if it was for something so trivial. She already dealt with taking orders from a tyrant on a daily basis, and she wasn’t about to let the Marauder get away with it too.

"Hey! How dare you speak to me like that!” Amity crossed her arms together. “We have to be careful, there's going to be a lot of people at the castle and you want to mark some  _ random _ room? We should start to formulate a plan on how we are going to get to Belos. And it's not like we can save the petrified witches anyways-"

Before Amity could finish, Luz quickly made her way towards her.

"That 'random' room is where my mentor is being held, it's what I've been preparing for  _ years _ . We were going to free everyone, remember?" Luz spat at Amity. 

Amity’s eyes narrowed.

"I don't  _ care  _ if you have been preparing for years, if we don't plan this the right way, many people attending the event will get hurt," She countered.

_ We are wasting time. _

"Event? What event?” Luz shook her head. “Belos doesn’t like people around his castle, especially now. Please, nothing is going to happen to anyone, I'll make sure of  _ it _ ," She replied with a determined look on her face.

Amity scoffed.

"You can't be sure of it because we have no plan for a situation like that! And the only reason there's going to be people is because by the end of the week, which is when I was supposed to bring  _ you _ in, The Day of Unity will-" 

Before she could finish Luz grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What did you just say?" She asked, her eyes almost popping out. 

Amity looked back blankly, befuddled by the unexpected reaction.

"The Day of Unity? Do you know what it is?" Amity asked.

Luz released Amity and stepped back, horrified. 

_ How could it be? I destroyed the portal and still have the key… Has he found a way to use it without it? Ese maldito… _

So not only had she failed to save Eda twice, but she had given up one of the most powerful artifacts in the world to a bloodthirsty tyrant. Luz clenched her jaw.

_ Pathetic.  _

"I do know what it is, and it's not good…" Luz was on the verge of collapse, but she pushed on. "The Day of Unity isn’t just an event. I don't know much, but what I do know is that Belos is trying to connect his world to mine..."

Now Amity was really confused.

_ Her world? _

"Your world?" Amity asked.

Luz frowned.

"I'm not exactly a witch…" Luz sighed.

Amity's face went from confusion to shock in an instant.

_ Whatever idea I have is probably not it… It can't be… _

Luz continued, her voice dropping. 

"It's not my first time dealing with Belos. When I was younger, I went in and tried to rescue my mentor from him, and failed more than once. He wanted the portal from which I had come from, he wanted it as a gateway to my world. I couldn't let it happen, so I destroyed it and hid the key," Luz was trying but failing to maintain her composure. While Amity couldn’t see her expression under her black armour, Amity could see her hands slightly shaking.

"Maybe you were right, there are other things to prioritize… We need to take him down and recover the portal first… I'm sorry…" Luz took a shaky breath and placed her hands on the table to try and ground herself.

Amity stared at the Marauder, her mind was racing.

_ It can't be her… how long has she been the Marauder? _

"N-no,” Amity stuttered. ”There's no need to apologize…" She walked to the table and put a hand comfortingly on Luz's shoulder. She shook her head.

_ This must be a coincidence… _

"What I said was insensitive, I should be the one apologizing…" Amity replied, still wrapping her head around what the Marauder had said.

The tension dropped from Luz’s shoulders.

"Honestly we were both being really petty." She laughed genuinely, making Amity's heart hammer. Luz turned around to meet the witch’s eyes. "Maybe you aren't so bad after all."

Amity’s breath hitched.

_ The way she moves, the way she speaks, her skin tone, her silly comments, and wanting to save her friends above all else. _

She couldn't deny it anymore.

The Marauder was Luz Noceda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @Lexa_Alycia for beta reading, go check her stuff out!


End file.
